The Passage<\/strong><\/p>\n Due to this passage\u2019s length, it is not printed in full.\u00a0 Instead, the homily, based on the English Standard Version, was worked out on the basis of the passage\u2019s five sections \u2013<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First Scene (vss 17-18): Jesus goes to Calvary<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Second Scene (vss 19-22): Pilate \/ Royal Inscription<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Third Scene (vss 23-24): Executioners divide Jesus\u2019 Clothes; Seamless Tunic<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fourth Scene (vss 25-27): Jesus gives His Mother to Beloved Disciple<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fifth Scene (vss 28-30): Jesus\u2019 Cry of Thirst; Executioners offer Him Wine; Jesus<\/p>\n hands over His Spirit<\/p>\n \u201cCome, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[Hosea 6.1]<\/p>\n \n \u00a0In the Name of Christ + Jesus Our Lord<\/p>\n The world has little idea of how nervy and startling it is for the Lord\u2019s baptized people to be worshiping on the Day of the Son\u2019s death!\u00a0 While most people recognize that death is the ultimate end of the world\u2019s life, the world still believes it can push death around: ignoring it, laughing about it, delaying it with the latest advances in medical skills and equipment, triggering it on our own, and polishing a person\u2019s life up after it has occurred (whether the commendations are real or not, whether they are deserved or not!).<\/p>\n Because the world thinks it can push death around, it also thinks it can decide what real life is.\u00a0 Thus, it asserts that such life begins, continues and ends with each individual person!\u00a0 That\u2019s why, with such thinking and believing swirling around our lives, it is startling and nervy to the world for the Lord\u2019s baptized people to worship him on the Day of Son\u2019s death!<\/p>\n Further, as we plunge more deeply into this portion of Our Lord\u2019s Passion, it is going to be clearer why this Day is called Good!\u00a0 There are five scenes from the Lord\u2019s Passion which demonstrate the huge differences between death as the world deals with it and death as the LORD God deals with it.<\/p>\n \n First Scene (17-18): Jesus goes to Calvary<\/strong><\/p>\n Verses 17-18 serve as a transition from the episodes where Jesus is judged by Pilate to the episodes that occur while Jesus is on the Cross.<\/p>\n What do we make of John\u2019s statement that Jesus carried the Cross by himself?\u00a0 It continues the theme that Jesus went to his own death as the One who knew where his Life was going.\u00a0 Earlier in John\u2019s Gospel, Jesus had said that he would lay down his Life and no one would take it from him.<\/p>\n He had instructed Judas at the First Eucharist to be quick about the business of betrayal! He showed that he could have resisted arrest by making his enemies fall to the ground in Gethsemane.\u00a0 He stood unafraid before Annas and Pilate.\u00a0 Jesus knew where his Life was going; that is why he is carrying the Cross by himself!<\/p>\n \n Second Scene (19-22): Pilate and Royal Inscription<\/strong><\/p>\n In verses 19-22, as Jesus goes out to Calvary, recall that it was also called the \u201cPlace of the Skull.\u201d\u00a0 Most likely it had that description because of the remnants of previous crucifixions.\u00a0 Still, it is intriguing to note the tradition which stated that Adam\u2019s bones were buried there.<\/p>\n The antagonists in Jesus\u2019 trial \u2013 the Jewish leaders and Pilate \u2013 continue their clashing over Jesus in this scene.\u00a0 Pilate has been weak with the leaders, but he will cower no more.\u00a0 The leaders forced him to turn Jesus over for crucifixion, but now he is going to have the last word.<\/p>\n The complaints of the Jewish leaders re-introduce the theme of kingship that was so prominent at the trial.\u00a0 John turns the charge of kingship into a world-wide proclamation through Pilate\u2019s order for the inscription over the Cross (remember that Pilate represents the greatest political power at trial).<\/p>\n It is very striking that in the major languages of the time (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) the inscription proclaims that Our Lord\u2019s kingship streams out from his ross.\u00a0 Running under this proclamation is the reality that, as Jesus is being lifted up from earth, he is drawing all people to himself!<\/p>\n \n Third Scene (23-24): Executioners Divide Jesus\u2019 Clothes; Seamless Tunic<\/strong><\/p>\n Verses 23-24 relate the division of Jesus\u2019 clothes by his executioners.\u00a0 It is the fulfillment of Psalm 22.17, a verse heard yesterday at the end of the Maundy Thursday Liturgy.<\/p>\n The seamless tunic may be reminder of the clothing of the high priest, suggesting that Our Lord died not only as the King, but also as the Priest.\u00a0 This suggestion is displayed in a number of New Testament passages, including those from the Letter to the Hebrews.\u00a0 The seamless tunic may also suggest, if it is not leaned on too heavily \u2013 the unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.<\/p>\n \n Fourth Scene (25-27): Jesus Gives His Mother to Beloved Disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n In verses 25-27, Jesus makes two powerful comments \u2013 \u201cWoman, here is your son\u201d and \u201cHere is your mother!\u201d\u00a0 There are two scenes in John\u2019s Gospel where his mother, Mary, appears.\u00a0 At Cana her intervention was rejected because the Hour had not yet come; at the Cross we are in that Hour.<\/p>\n Mary, in becoming the mother of the Beloved Disciple (John), reaches back to the Old Testament themes of Eve and her children as well as Lady Zion giving birth to the new people in the Messianic Age.<\/p>\n Mary, in becoming the mother of the Beloved Disciple, also reaches forward to the New Testament reality of the Church.\u00a0 The Church gives birth to children through Baptism, bringing them up after Our Lord and surrounding them with deep, loving care.<\/p>\n The Beloved Disciple, in becoming a son of Mary, reaches backward and forward to every person in the world who has been drawn, who is being drawn and who will be drawn into the Lord\u2019s Life.\u00a0 In this scene, Jesus is completing the work the Father gave him to do.\u00a0 He is providing for the future of those who believe in him.\u00a0 Jesus is giving those persons the love (the agape) of the Holy Trinity in which they shall live after he returns to the Father.<\/p>\n \n Fifth Scene (28-30): Jesus\u2019 Cry of Thirst; Executioners Offer Him Wine; Jesus <\/strong><\/p>\n Hands over His Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n The verses in this concluding scene (28-30) focus on Jesus\u2019 cry of thirst, the offering of wine by the executioners and the handing over of his Spirit.<\/p>\n Is Jesus\u2019 thirst to be understood only as a dryness and his desire to be more comfortable?\u00a0 Or is it connected with the Cup that Father gave him to drink?\u00a0 The Cup was one of suffering and death, one foaming with the wrath of the LORD God.\u00a0 Only when Jesus has tasted the bitter wine of death will his Father\u2019s intentions be fulfilled.\u00a0 Finishing his work now, Jesus thirsts to drink that Cup to last drop! \u00a0\u00a0In his thirst and response to the Hour, Jesus fulfills the Old Testament psalms (69.23 and 22.15) that had predicted his death.<\/p>\n What is the meaning of hyssop?\u00a0 In the book of Exodus it was specified that hyssop (a stick or reed) was used to sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of the Israelite homes.\u00a0 This blood protected them from the angel of death which swarmed over Egypt that night when the Exodus got underway.<\/p>\n In John\u2019s Gospel, Jesus is sentenced to death at the actual hour when the slaughter of the Passover lambs begins in the temple precincts.\u00a0 John is helping us to see Jesus\u2019 dying as the Passover lamb is the fulfillment of the Father\u2019s promise \u2013 Jesus dies as the Lamb of God who takes away the world\u2019s sin.<\/p>\n His final words \u2013 \u201cIt is finished!\u201d \u2013 are victorious; our Lord is obediently fulfilling his Father\u2019s will.\u00a0 Thus, Jesus accepts the swallow of sour wine, he bows his head, gives up his Spirit and the Hour thunders to its conclusion!<\/p>\n Every day in the course of every week gives us solid evidence of how the world deals with death.\u00a0 This Day (the one we call Good!) gives us fuller evidence of how the LORD God deals with it.\u00a0 Through these five scenes from John\u2019s Passion account we now better understand how nervy and startling it is for the Lord\u2019s baptized people to worship him on the Day of Son\u2019s death1<\/p>\n The Son\u2019s dying on the Cross is not a tragedy which could have been prevented or an event which leaves us crying over its unfairness (don\u2019t we recognize how sin-soaked and sin-driven the world\u2019s life is?). Neither does the Son\u2019s dying on the Cross leave us with empty promises that we are going to conduct ourselves better (do we honestly think we, and we alone, can bring our lives to the point where they will reflect less sin?).<\/p>\n While the world thinks it can push death around: ignoring it, laughing about it, delaying it, triggering it or polishing up a life struck down by it, Our Lord succumbs to death and, as he does, he crushes its power and its hold on the world\u2019s people.\u00a0 Thus, our gathering to worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit on the Day of the Son\u2019s death is more than startling and nervy, it is an actual plunge into the salvation which erupts from that dying!<\/p>\n Now may the peace of the LORD God, which is beyond all understanding, keep our\u00a0hearts and minds through Christ + Jesus Our Lord<\/p>\n Pr. Carl A. Voges, Columbia, SC; carl.voges4@icloud.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good Friday (Revised Common Lectionary) | 04.07.23 | John 19.17-30 | Carl A. Voges | The Passage Due to this passage\u2019s length, it is not printed in full.\u00a0 Instead, the homily, based on the English Standard Version, was worked out on the basis of the passage\u2019s five sections \u2013 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First Scene (vss 17-18): Jesus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,157,853,173,108,110,298,702,349,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-18020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-johannes","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-carl-a-voges","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-19-chapter-19","category-karfreitag","category-kasus","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18020"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18021,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18020\/revisions\/18021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18020"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=18020"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=18020"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=18020"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=18020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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